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On Tuesday, the California Senate Judiciary Committee unanimously approved a measure that will block local jurisdictions from banning male circumcision. AB 768 is in part a response to a San Francisco ballot measure that sought to outlaw the procedure on boys under age 18.
Nationally, efforts are underway to limit male circumcision. Critics say it is an unnecessary surgery on a healthy and defenseless child that can have lasting sexual and mental health problems. Supporters, including researchers, say male circumcision can reduce the risk of STDs and cancer. Jews and Muslims consider the practice an important religious rite.
Backed by two Democratic lawmakers, the measure declares that the surgical removal of the foreskin has health, cultural, and other benefits. “It’s a medical procedure, and it has value,” said Assembly member Mike Gatto of Los Angeles, a co-author of AB 768.
Supporters say the bill is needed to prevent a patchwork of laws throughout the state governing the practice. “The decision to perform male circumcision should be left up to the parents in consultation with their physician, wherever they reside,” said Ryan Spencer, a spokesperson for the California Medical Association.
The San Francisco ballot measure drew national attention. In June of this year, a group including Jewish and Muslim city residents sued to block it. On July 28, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Loretta Giorgi ordered it struck from the November ballot, saying California law specifies that only the state, not cities, can regulate medical procedures, and that it violated protections of religious freedoms under the US Constitution.
Gatto said AB 768 is necessary in case Giorgi’s ruling is overturned on appeal. Further, the Jewish specialists who perform circumcisions, mohels, might not be covered by state law on medical procedures.
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